InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "No disassemble Number Five!!"

Erato (passionburning) wrote in nevermore_logs,
@ 2021-05-25 23:21:00

Current mood:	good
Entry tags:	erato, melpomene

WHO Erato and Melpomene
WHEN the day of Clio’s rescue
WHERE Melpomene’s apartment
WHAT sisters catching up
WARNINGS talk of past badness

Erato was up atrociously early this morning, which was none of her doing. Calliope had called her (and called her and called her) and somehow she’d been talked into getting up, dressed, and leaving her apartment to buy bearclaws and coffee and ride her bike over to Melpomene’s.

It was quite nice out, actually. The news of Clio had lightened her heart tremendously, and she was able to focus on the city in the morning, and enjoy the way the warm air flowed past her and played with her hair. Poor Melpomene, she was still so troubled, and Erato felt a little bad that she hadn’t pulled her weight, letting Urania and Thalia carry the load. Well, today she was doing the duty that Calliope had bullied her into, and she was going to pass on the message about Clio, and check that Melpomene was still in one piece.

“Hello?” she called, knocking on the door. There was a growl from the other side, and she took half a step back in concern. “Melpomene? It’s Erato, can I come in?”

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somethingtragic
2021-05-25 11:55 am UTC (link)

Though the Muses had been spending much of their days together at Urania's, Melpomene never stayed there overnight. She couldn't do it, not only because it was impractical with Telos, but because the echoes of hopelessness at Urania's hurt too much. Being there reminded her too deeply of the time she'd spent there, the loss of Telos brutally hollowing her out.

Not that spending time in her own apartment was any less brutalising, but at least Telos' room was safe. Melpomene retreated back there every night, like she was slinking back into a cave.

Her dreams were bad, and often she woke up with fear clinging to her. Every time Telos pulled her from sleep she felt a sense of warning, a deep dread. Was today going to be the day things got worse? Would Clio be found, dead in Martin's prison? Would she open her eyes to find Telos' crib empty again? Would another sister be attacked and taken - if Martin found out about one Muse, if Clio was withholding her inspiration, would he move onto another? Would it be some other danger - the Sheriff returning to retip the scales in his favor by taking Alan? Fear never left her alone for long.

Every time she opened her eyes from a dream, Telos was still in his crib, and with an edge of desperation that also never left her for long, she'd crawl from her bed in his room and hold him, and his safety would save her, till next time she fell asleep.

She didn't look at her phone on Monday morning. If the world was on fire there was nothing she could do; Telos needed breakfast. She was feeding in bed in his room, half asleep herself, when Erato knocked on the door and Nikkos peeled his lips back off those dangerous teeth and growled. Melpomene groaned and slowly, so as not to disturb Telos, set her feet on the floor and hauled herself up.

"It's okay Nikkos. Back. Sit," she said, pushing the chain off her door with her nose, then leaning on the handle to open it and let Erato (and coffee) in. "Hi," she said to Erato, flatly, and Nikkos backed off a little, but kept his eyes solidly on Erato as she entered. And the bakery bags in her hand, though he was too well trained to lunge.

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passionburning
2021-05-25 12:20 pm UTC (link)

Erato gave Melpomene her best smile, and held up the bag. "I brought breakfast," she said cheerfully, her eyes drawn first to the feeding baby, and then the dog. "Oh my goodness, hello baby!" she said to the dog. "When did you get a dog? What a beautiful pupper, oh my gosh!"

She went to the table to set down the coffee cups, baked goods, and her handbag, then turned back to Melpomene to look her over. Somehow her sister seemed kind of grey and wan, lacking much luster. Erato shook her head and put her hands on her hips. "Oh honey. When did you last have a shower?"

	somethingtragic 2021-05-27 02:50 pm UTC (link)
	Melpomene didn't mind Thalia's attempts to cheer her up, or Terpsi's invitations, though Calliope's logic felt too hard and cold, and made her feel snappish and spikey. For once, Melpomene agreed with Erato's own words exactly, and her laugh acknowledging this was both light as breath, and deeply, heavily bitter. "Yes" she croaked. "We're agreed on that." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	somethingtragic 2021-05-28 12:47 pm UTC (link)
	"You envy me?" Melpomene said, so shocked by this it took a long few seconds of incredulous staring to begin to get her head around this idea, and the rest of Erato's words sounded little more than white noise. "I lost him, and then I destroyed any chance I ever had of reaching across that divide toward him again, and you envy me?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	passionburning 2021-05-28 12:52 pm UTC (link)
	"But you had him to begin with." Erato fiddled with a lock of hair, twisting it around her fingers. "That is what I envy. Not the... bridge bombing you did after." She shrugged. Melpomene did have a way of compelling respect sometimes. She also had one of Ares' prize dogs in her bedroom. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	passionburning 2021-05-29 10:30 am UTC (link)
	"Then what do you need to survive?" Erato cocked her head at Melpomene, watching her, a little birdlike. "Does holding on to Alan help you survive? What do you need, right now?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)